Russia blames Ukraine as apartments collapse after blast
Ukraine evacuates 4,000 people from besieged Kharkiv border region, says governor
RUSSIA is blaming a Ukrainian strike after an entire section of an apartment block collapsed following an explosion in Belgorod.
CCTV from the scene shows a large blast near the base of the 10-floor structure and then the building falling in.
At least 17 people have been hurt and there are reports of fatalities and also of people trapped in the rubble.
The Russian city is near the border with Kharkiv in Ukraine, where Putin’s troops launched an offensive on Friday. The Belgorod region has often been targeted by Ukrainian forces since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of
Ukraine in 2022, but there has been no word from Ukraine on the latest incident.
Previously officials in Kiev have said Ukrainian strikes, including those on Belgorod, do not target civilians.
But the regional governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, accused Ukraine of bombarding the region, describing the cause of the explosion as a Ukrainian shell. Pictures from the scene show rescuers removing debris by hand in a search for survivors. Surrounding apartments have been evacuated due to fears of the main building collapsing further.
One resident told RIA Novosti her husband was in their bedroom in the building when the blast went off and was injured in the head and face. “He did not have the time” to escape, she said.
The incident comes as fighting continues just across the border with Ukraine, where Russian forces have made incursions into the Kharkiv region. The defence ministry in Moscow claims its forces have captured a number of villages there, while Ukraine says it has been carrying out counterattacks.
Meanwhile, thousands of residents of the eastern Ukrainian border region of Kharkiv are being evacuated to safety amid Russia’s current offensive operations there.
Around 4,000 people had already left the area in the last two days, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov wrote on Telegram on Sunday.
Many of them were able to stay with friends and relatives, while accommodation was being provided for others, he said. Syniehubov also published photos of people who had gathered at assembly points with luggage and some with pets.
More than two years after Russia launched a fullscale invasion of its neighbour, Ukraine is experiencing acute difficulties in defending itself. This is partly due to the recent delays in supplies of US military equipment and ammunition. Russian troops launched an offensive in the border region towards Kharkiv in the early hours of Friday, prompting fears of a campaign to seize Ukraine’s second largest city.